Jasper County, Illinois
Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population is 10,117. Its county seat is Newton6. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,290 km² (498 sq mi). 1,280 km² (494 sq mi) of it is land and 9 km² (4 sq mi) of it (0.73%) is water. Adjacent Counties *Cumberland County - north *Clark County - northeast *Crawford County - east *Richland County - south *Clay County - southwest *Effingham County - west History Jasper County was formed in 1831 out of Clay and Crawford Counties. It was named for Sgt. William Jasper, Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina. In the defense of Fort Moultrie in 1776, when the staff of the American flag was shot away, Sgt. Jasper erected a temporary staff, and waved the flag at the British until a new staff was erected. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 3,930 households, and 2,849 families residing in the county. The population density was 8/km² (20/sq mi). There were 4,294 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (9/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 99.15% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 3,930 households out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,721, and the median income for a family was $43,547. Males had a median income of $30,131 versus $17,646 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,649. About 8.50% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 10.10% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Many of the communities of Jasper County are townships and are not included here. *Hidalgo *Newton *Rose Hill *Ste. Marie *Wheeler *Willow Hill *Yale Census designated places *Bogota *Hunt *Sainte Marie *Wakefield *Wendelin *West Liberty Notable residents *Burl Ives, an acclaimed American folk music singer, author, and actor. External links * Jasper County Genealogy Trails * Jasper County Genweb *http://www.southeastillinois.com hjsdgcbi76dft Category:Counties of Illinois Category:Jasper County, Illinois